President Muhammadu Buhari has reacted to the Supreme Court judgement on the issue of the old N500 and N1,000 currency notes, saying that at no time did he instruct the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) or the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor to disobey the court order.
The President said it was not in his character to ask his aides to disobey court orders involving the government and other parties.
According to a statement by presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, on Monday evening, he said since President Buhari was sworn into office in 2015, he has never directed anybody to defy court orders, in the strong belief that democracy can’t be practiced without the rule of law and the commitment of his administration to this principle has not changed.
According to him: “Following the ongoing intense debate about the compliance concerning the legality of the old currency notes, the Presidency therefore wishes to state clearly that President Buhari has not done anything knowingly and deliberately to interfere with or obstruct the administration of justice.
“The President is not a micromanager and will not, therefore, stop the Attorney General and the CBN Governor from performing the details of their duties in accordance with the law. In any case. it is debatable at this time if there is proof of willful denial by the two of them on the orders of the apex court.
“The directive of the President, following the meeting of the Council of State. is that the Bank must make available for circulation all the money that is needed and nothing has happened to change the position.
“It is an established fact that the President is an absolute respecter of judicial process and the authority of the courts.
“He has done nothing in the last eight or so years to act in any way to obstruct the administration of justice, cause lack of confidence in the administration of justice, or otherwise interfere or corrupt the courts and there is no reason whatsoever that he should do so now when he is getting ready to leave office,” the Presidential aide stated.
The presidential spokesman noted that the negative campaign and personalised attacks against the President by the opposition and all manner of commentators was unfair and unjust, as no court order at any level has been issued or directed at Buhari personally.
As for the cashless system the CBN is determined to put in place, Shehu said it is a known fact that many of the country’s citizens who bear the brunt of the sufferings, surprisingly support the policy as they believe that the action would cut corruption, fight terrorism, build an environment of honesty and reinforce the incorruptible leadership of the President.
“It is, therefore, wide off the mark to blame the President for the current controversy over the cash scarcity, despite the Supreme Court judgement.
“The CBN has no reason not to comply with court orders on the excuse of waiting for directives from the President,” he added.
President Buhari has also rejected the impression that he lacks compassion, saying that “no government in our recent history has introduced policies to help economically marginalised and vulnerable groups like the present administration.”